12 research outputs found

    A Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Fentress Johnson West Bay Mitigation Bank Project, Brazoria County, Texas

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    Alluvion Resource Company (Alluvion) is proposing to establish and operate the Fentress-Johnson West Bay Mitigation Bank (FJWBMB) located in Brazoria County, Texas. Specifically, the development activities will consist of the construction of weir structures and the re-establishment of contours to meet existing marsh elevations of adjacent wetlands. In all, the FJWBMB totals approximately 5,377-acres (ac) (2,175.9 hectares [ha]), however impacts associated with the development of the FJWBMB would only occur within select areas totaling approximately 150.0 ac (60.7-ha), with intensive cultural resources surveys conducted across a broader environmental survey area (ESA) totaling approximately 300.0 ac (121.4-ha) centered on these development areas. Alluvion retained Perennial Environmental Services, LLC (Perennial) to conduct an intensive Phase I cultural resources investigation for the proposed Project to at the request of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in correspondence dated March 20, 2020. Archaeological investigations for the Project were conducted in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Texas State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) survey standards, as well as an approved scope of work. Consistent with the USACE application requirements, and in accordance with Section 106 of the NHPA of 1966, as amended and implementing regulations (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 800), the proposed Project must make a reasonable and good faith effort to identify historic properties within the Area of Potential Effect (APE) and to take into account any direct or indirect effects the proposed undertaking could have on properties listed or considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). For purposes of this report, the APE is considered to be equivalent to the ESA totaling 300.0 ac (121.4-ha), with depths of impact anticipated to range from 0.5 to 1.5 feet (ft) (0.15 to 0.45 meters [m]). Abby Peyton served as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Project, while Wyatt Ellison and Wade Griffith led the field efforts. The Phase I survey investigations for the Project, as presented herein, were conducted between May 27, 2020 and May 29, 2020, and included the excavation of a total of 191 shovel tests. The survey investigations resulted in entirely negative findings. No artifacts were encountered as a result of these efforts, and so site delineation or artifact collection protocols were not implemented. Similarly, no curation is warranted for the Project

    A Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the 8-Mile Project, Brazoria County, Texas

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    Perennial Environmental Services, LLC (Perennial), on behalf of Phillips 66 Pipeline LLC (P66), conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of the proposed 8-Mile Project located in Brazoria County, Texas . The proposed Project will consist of an approximately 1,275.3-acre (ac) (516.1-hectare [ha]) facility designed to service the transportation of Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) and will include a railroad track loop, storage, railcar offloading tracks, an administrative building, and other structures necessary for operation of the facility. The proposed Project is located within the jurisdictional boundary of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District. The Project may require the usage of a Nationwide Permit (NWP) issued by the USACE, and as such, a cultural resources survey was conducted for the 1275.3 ac (516.1 ha) Project area in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (36 CFR Part 800). The survey was designed to inventory and assess cultural resources across the Project. These efforts involved both surface and subsurface archaeological survey. The area of potential effect (APE) is considered the entirety of the Project area. The APE measures approximately 1275.3 ac (516.1 ha). Perennial conducted the intensive Phase I cultural resources survey within the boundary of the Project APE. Zachary Overfield served as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Project and supervised all aspects of the cultural resources survey. The fieldwork was conducted by Tessa Noble, Mary Noell, Jacob Cumberland, Patrick Gainey, Anne Marie Fraley, and Allyson Walsh on December 4-12, 2014 and Amy Goldstein, Kirsten Atwood, and Zachary Overfield on February 22-24, 2016. The background review identified two National Register listed properties (Marmion’s gazebo and Palapa table) northwest of the Project area. Both properties are located upon the historic James Richard Marmion Estate, which has not been evaluated in its entirety for its NRHP eligibility (Atlas 2016). The gazebo and Palapa table were created by noted sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez and qualify under criterion C as the work of a master. The gazebo is located 0.4 mi (0.7 km) northwest of the Project area and the table is located 0.6 mi (1.0 km) northwest of the Project area. The properties do not lie in the Project viewshed as bottomland hardwood forest obscures the northwestern boundary. Additionally, rail facilities will not drastically alter the character of the viewshed due to the prior establishment of a railroad and rail facilities in the immediate area. These properties are a sufficient distance outside of the Project APE and will not be impacted by Project construction activities. The field survey resulted in entirely negative findings with no cultural resources observed along the ground surface or within any of the 395 shovel tests excavated across the Project. Overall, the Project area was found to be dominated by cleared pastureland that was once bottomland hardwood forests. Multiple pipeline corridors bisect the property, and inundation was widespread during the 2014 and 2016 investigations. Based on the extent of the survey efforts and the entirely negative results of the investigation, it is the professional opinion of the Principal Investigator that the Project will have no adverse effect on significant cultural resources listed on or considered eligible for listing on the NRHP. No further work is recommended for the Project

    A Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Orbit Pipeline Project Jefferson, Liberty, and Chambers Counties, Texas

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    Energy Transfer Company (ETC) is proposing to construct the Orbit Pipeline Project (Project) located in Jefferson, Liberty, and Chambers counties, Texas. The Project consists of approximately 68.7 miles (mi) (110.6 kilometer [km]) of new 20.0-inch (in) (50.8-centimeter [cm]) diameter pipeline that will be used to transmit ethane and propane. The Project is located within the jurisdictional boundary of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - Galveston District. At the request of ETC, Perennial Environmental Services, LLC (Perennial) conducted an intensive Phase I cultural resources investigation for the proposed Project to comply with anticipated USACE permitting requirements. Archaeological investigations for the Project were conducted in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and Texas State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) standards. Additionally, the Project traverses several discontinuous publicly-owned tracts that fall under the jurisdiction of the Antiquities Code of Texas (Code). The results of survey investigations conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit (TAP) #8690 (issued December 17, 2018, and amended on August 30, 2019) across six discontinuous publicly -owned tracts are also presented herein. Consistent with USACE application requirements, and in accordance with Section 106 of the NHPA of 1966, as amended (36 CFR 800) and the Code, the proposed Project must make a reasonable and good faith effort to identify historic properties within the Project Area of Potential Effect (APE) and to take into account any potential effects, direct or indirect, the proposed undertaking could have on properties listed or considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL), as warranted. As the Project footprint was not finalized at the time of field investigations, survey efforts were concentrated within the vicinity of delineated wetland and waterbody features along the length of the route within a 300.0-foot- (ft-) (91.4-meter- [m-]) wide Environmental Survey Area (ESA). The anticipated depths of impact for the Project will range from 4.0 to 7.0 ft. (1.2 to 2.1 m) along the pipeline centerline, with limited deeper impacts at horizontal directional drill (HDD) and bore locations, including Cow Island Bayou, Hillebrandt Bayou, Lower Neches Valley River Authority canals, Nolte Canal, the Trinity River, Turtle Bayou, Whites Bayou, Willow Marsh Bayou, and public road crossings. The anticipated depths of impact for temporary workspace areas within the Project APE corridor would not exceed 0.6 to 1.0 ft. (0.1 to 0.3 m). The overall APE for direct effects for the Project measured 2307.19 acres (ac) (933.68 ha), while APE for Code-permitted tracts totaled 210.0 ac (85.06 ha). As presented herein, the Project ESA is coterminous with the Project APE, which is also referred to as the USACE permit areas. Only the areas adjacent to the USACE permit areas and the entirety of Code-permitted areas were surveyed for cultural resources. Jennifer Cochran served as the Principal Investigator, and field efforts were conducted by Sarah Boudreaux, Rafael Cortez, Wyatt Ellison, Rachel Kelley, William Kinkner, Colene Knaub, Jonathan Laird, Alejandro Martinez, and Thomas Ross across multiple field mobilizations between October 1, 2018, and November 12, 2019. Investigations included an archival background review and intensive pedestrian surveys augmented by shovel testing in the vicinity of delineated wetland and waterbody features. Archival research determined that there are no previously recorded sites within, or directly adjacent to the Project APE, and approximately 32.7% of the Project APE has been previously surveyed for cultural resources. However, many of these surveys are outdated and do not meet modern survey standards. Additionally, many of these previously surveys were conducted for USACE-permitted projects, and the entire Project was not surveyed for the presence of cultural resources. As such, all areas surrounding identified wetland and waterbody for this Project were surveyed. Perennial biologists delineated a total of 490 wetland areas. Of the 490 wetlands identified within the Project APE, 290 were characterized as palustrine emergent (PEM) wetlands, 106 were characterized as palustrine forested (PFO) wetlands, 4 were classified as PFO-Cypress wetlands, and 90 were characterized as palustrine scrub-shrub (PSS) wetlands. Perennial biologists also identified 270 waterbodies that ranged from perennial streams to ephemeral streams. Of the 270 waterbodies delineated, 36 were classified as having perennial flow, 66 were classified as having intermittent flow, and 148 were classified as ephemeral flow. Additionally, 20 open water features were delineated and classified as manmade ponds. Survey efforts were concentrated in the vicinity of these features where land access was voluntarily granted in accordance with a scope of work for the Project approved by the USACE on August 28, 2018, and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) on October 1, 2018. Following the approval of the scope of work, ETC extended the eastern terminus of the Project to the western bank of the Neches River, and other minor reroutes were also implemented. Perennial applied the approved survey methodology to all new Project components. For Code-permitted tracts, surveys were conducted across the entire length of the Project APE corridor in accordance with a stand-alone scope submitted to the THC on December 14, 2018, and amended August 30, 2019. Additionally, following the receipt of TAP#8690, the proposed Project was routed onto two additional publicly-owned tracts belonging to the Texas Department of Corrections (DOC) – Stiles Unit and Jefferson County. The TAP #8690 was revised and amended on August 30, 2019. Following this August 30, 2019 amendment, ETC added additional route options across the DOC – Stiles Unit tract. This additional mileage was surveyed using the same methods as stated in the previously presented revised TAP scope of work for this property. In all, the survey investigations included the excavation of a total of 1,250 shovel tests of which 1,171 shovel tests were excavated within the Project APE. The remaining 79 shovel tests were excavated outside of USACE permit areas but within the Project workspace. For the purposes of this report, only investigations within the Project APE will be discussed. Survey investigations within the Project APE resulted in entirely negative findings. No archeological sites were encountered within the survey areas reported herein. Additionally, no historic standing structures or landscape features such as historic-age canals were observed with any USACE permit areas. Overall, the surveys documented predominately inundated landscapes with a low probability for intact cultural resources. Numerous existing pipeline corridors and modern canal features are traversed by the Project. While some of the modern canals could be historic in nature or connected to a greater network of irrigation features used historically to supply agricultural crops with water, it is important to note that the majority of the waterways associated with these features will be bypassed via bore/HDD. As such, any impacts to these waterbodies as well as the associated canal structure will be entirely avoided. Additionally, all visual impacts from the proposed pipeline corridor will be temporary in nature. To date, field surveys have been completed for all accessible wetland and waterbody features along the pipeline route, as well as the total length of the Project survey corridor across all Codepermitted tracts. Prior to the beginning of November 2019, field surveys had not been conducted along the eastern banks and associated bottomlands of the Trinity River due to multiple flooding events that resulted in heavy inundation beginning in September 2018 which prevented access or survey investigations of any kind. Additionally, field surveys did not occur along portions of the Project containing denied landowner permissions. On November 6, 2019, a survey crew was able to access previously inaccessible areas associated with the Trinity River due to several months of normalized weather conditions throughout portions of Eastern Texas. Even under normal conditions, large portions of this area remain constantly inundated due to strong hydrological influences and the geomorphic position of the landscape. However, crews were able to traverse inundated areas by foot to access portions of the Project located immediately adjacent to the Trinity River. While the area located immediately adjacent to the Trinity River was not inundated at the time of survey, wetlands with strong hydrological indicators still dominate the landscape. Of the 760 delineated wetland and waterbody features, 74 features were originally not surveyed for cultural resources due to restricted land access including denied landowner permissions and significant inundation. Of these 74 features, 38 feature locations (27 streams and 42 wetlands) will be bypassed via horizontal directional drill (HDD) or bore trenchless construction methods resulting in no impacts to these features. The remaining five features (including multiple crossing locations of the same feature) are located along the eastern banks of the Trinity River. While these features were surveyed for cultural resources with negative findings, the presence of buried deposits exists within the vicinity of these features. However, access to these features with heavy machinery is not feasible due to the remote location and constant hydrological influences (e.g. inundation and saturation) associated with the floodplain setting of the Trinity River. As such, these five features are proposed to be monitored by a qualified Archeological Monitor during construction efforts. Appendix C provides each wetland and waterbody feature crossed by the Project with management recommendations and associated comments, while Appendix F provides a Cultural Monitoring Plan to evaluate the five features that will not be avoided during construction efforts. Appendix F also includes a table in response to a letter issued by the USACE Staff Archeologist, Mr. Jerry Androy, on May 17, 2019, indicating that the 74 aforementioned permit areas associated with the Project would require cultural resources investigations. The table lists each permit area, the reason surveys were not originally conducted, and justification for/against the need for monitoring. Based on the results of the survey effort reported here, no cultural resources will be affected by any construction activities within the Project APE. Aside from Cultural Monitoring at five features (including multiple crossing locations of the same feature) within the Trinity River floodplain, it is Perennial’s opinion that no further cultural resources investigations are warranted for the Project. Should archaeological remains be encountered during construction, work in the immediate area will cease, and a qualified archaeologist will be called upon to evaluate the remains and provide recommendations for how to manage the resources under the State’s Historic Preservation Plan

    A Cultural Resources Survey Of The BP-Fletcher No.1 Proposed 4.4-Acre Well Pad, 1.5-Acre Well Pad, And 2.4-Mile Pipeline Project, Within Village Greek State Park, Hardin County, Texas

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    Perennial Environmental Services, LLC (Perennial), on behalf of Upstream Exploration, LLC (Upstream) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of the BP – Fletcher No. 1 well pads and pipeline Project (Project) located east of Lumberton, Texas on the recently acquired Hancock Tract within the Village Creek State Park. The Project will include vegetation clearing, equipment staging as well as construction and installation of an approximately 4.4-acre pad site, 1.5-acre pad site, and a 3.8-kilometer- (km-) (2.4-mile- [mi-]) long 10.2-centimeter- (cm-) 4.0-inch- [in.-]) diameter pipeline. The pipeline portion of the Project will run adjacent to an unnamed road that bisects the Hancock property from west to east approximately 2.7 km (1.7 mi) to the east of Alma Drive. The two pad sites are located at either terminus of the pipeline and average approximately 1.5 acres and 4.4 acres in size. The 3.8-km- (2.4-mi-) long pipeline will be installed within an approximately 6.9-meter-(m-) (20.0-foot- [ft.-]) wide permanent corridor with temporary workspace extending up to a 15.2-m- (50-ft.-) wide corridor in some areas (14.2 acres). In all, the Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the Project totals 20.5 acres, with depths of impacts ranging from 1.2 to1.8 m (4.0 to 6.0 ft.). Abby Peyton served as Principal Investigator for the Project, Jennifer Cochran served as Project Archeologist, and Chris Shelton, Amy Goldstein, and Kirsten Atwood conducted the fieldwork on January 27-29, 2016. The Project is located on property owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the property falls under the jurisdiction of the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). A cultural resources assessment was necessary within the Project in order to satisfy requirements of the ACT. The purpose of the survey was to identify any prehistoric and historic-age archaeological sites located within the APE and evaluate their significance and eligibility for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). The cultural resources investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Committee (TAC) Permit No. 7499. In all, a total of 144 shovel tests and 7 bucket auger tests were excavated across the Project. Shovel tests revealed diverse soil textures, such as silty clay loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, and sandy clay. Auger testing was terminated upon reaching compact clay or the presence of the water table at 110.0-175.0 cm (43.0-69.0 in.) below ground surface. No evidence of any cultural resources was observed along the modern ground surface or within any of the shovel tests or bucket augers excavated within the Project. Previously recorded site 41HN59, a historic-age site consisting of a historic-age trash scatter, was observed approximately 6.1 m (20.0 ft.) west of the proposed pipeline right-of-way (ROW). The ground surface was thoroughly inspected and shovel tests were excavated at 30.0-m (98.4-ft.) intervals along the Project area near site 41HN59. No evidence of site 41HN59 was observed along the modern ground surface within any of the shovel tests excavated in this area. Based on the results of the survey effort, no intact, significant cultural resources will be affected by any construction activities within the Project area. In accordance with the ACT, Perennial recommends no further cultural resources investigations within the 20.5-acre Project area

    Final Report A Phase I Cultural Resources Survey of the Break Point Project Fort Bend County, Texas

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    Perennial Environmental Services, LLC (Perennial), on behalf of Gulf South Pipeline Company, LP (Gulf South), a subsidiary of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP (Boardwalk), conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of the proposed Break Point Project (Project) located in Rosenberg in Fort Bend County, Texas. The Project will involve the hydrostatic testing of the existing line. The hydrostatic test will require temporary workspace in order to complete the proposed activities. The proposed Project construction will include the excavation of the existing pipeline and in order to complete a hydrostatic test of the line. Temporary workspace within the defined Project area will be utilized for construction vehicular traffic and equipment storage during the testing activities. Ground disturbance will be minimal outside of the existing corridor; however, limited excavation activities will be necessary at the margins of the existing right of way (ROW). The proposed Project may require the usage of a Nationwide Permit (NWP) issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As such, portions of the Project fall under the jurisdiction of the USACE. Additionally, the proposed Project is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Cultural resources surveys were conducted for the approximately 3.4-acre Project area in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The survey was designed to inventory and assess cultural resources across the Project. These efforts involved both surface and subsurface archaeological survey. The area of potential effect (APE) is considered the entirety of the Project area. The APE measures approximately 3.4 acres with depths of impact extending to the depth of the existing pipeline (4.0 to 6.0 ft [1.2 to 1.8 m]) within the permanent easement, and 0.6 to 1.0 ft (0.1 to 0.3 m) within the temporary workspace areas. Perennial conducted the intensive Phase I archaeological investigation within the boundaries of the Project. Abby Peyton served as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Project and Zachary Overfield, Michael Maddox, and Miles Martin conducted the fieldwork on January 22, 2016. The survey investigations resulted in entirely negative findings with no cultural resources observed along the ground surface or within any of the ten shovel tests excavated across the Project. Overall, the Project area was found to be covered by bermudagrass and small stands of hardwoods and scrub brush. The typical shovel test profiled consisted of a dark grayish brown sandy loam from (0-11.8 in [0-30 cmbs]) on top of a gray clay (11.8-39.4 [30-100 cmbs]). Based on the negative survey results recorded during the investigation, it is the professional opinion of the Principal Investigator that the Project will have no adverse effect on significant cultural resources listed on or considered eligible for listing on the NRHP. No further work is recommended for the Project

    The Little Paint Site: A Classic Toyah Camp on the South Llano River, Kimble County, Texas

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    On behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted testing and data recovery investigations at the Little Paint site (41KM226), a prehistoric multi-component site in the US 377 right-of-way along the South Llano River in Kimble County, Texas. While the site revealed Archaic and Late Prehistoric components, the earlier components were stratigraphically intermixed. Consequently, data recovery focused almost entirely on a discrete Toyah component, which, based on earlier test excavations conducted in August and September 2006, had previously been determined to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and as a State Archeological Landmark. SWCA performed the investigations under Texas Antiquities Permits 4184 and 4318. Kevin A. Miller served as Principal Investigator. The excavations recovered approximately 102 m2 of a stratigraphically-discrete Toyah component consisting of rock-lined hearths, Perdiz points, Cliffton points, a bird-bone bead, bone-tempered ceramics, bifaces, scrapers (notably end scrapers on blade-flakes), various informal lithic tools, drills, awls, debitage, and faunal remains. Based on the assemblage, the site is interpreted as a Toyah basecamp as indicated by a diversity of tool forms and site furniture. The component has good integrity, is vertically and horizontally discrete, and contains a substantial amount of archaeological materials. The suite of 16 radiometric dates indicates intermittent Toyah occupations between 240 and 570 years ago, a time range that is generally consistent with recognized span of the Toyah assemblage. The archaeological assemblage and site structure, however, suggests a possible single Toyah occupation. While not a focal point of the data recovery investigations, the excavations also recovered mixed Archaic components below the Toyah component. Artifacts include diagnostic point styles that indicate Late Archaic to early Late Prehistoric occupations, representing 1,000 to 2,000 years of the regional cultural chronology compressed within a thin stratum. Based on the findings, the depositional conditions below the Toyah component, as was previously determined by the testing data, were found to be generally not conducive to the formation of stratigraphic separation of the successive occupations. This compression resulted in intermixing of components and poor integrity. Below the mixed Archaic zone, deeply buried Middle to Early Archaic deposits were identified. These retained a better potential for significant isolable strata, but these deeper deposits were beyond the project impacts and therefore were not the subject of mitigative efforts. The deeper deposits are preserved by avoidance. As previously determined and further substantiated by the data recovery investigations, the Little Paint site, because of the Toyah component and perhaps earlier deposits, is eligible for National Register of Historic Places listing under Criterion D, 36 CFR 60.4, and eligible for State Archeological Landmark designation under Criteria 1 and 2 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure for the Antiquities Code of Texas, 13 TAC 26.8. The excavations have mitigated the adverse effects of the US 377 bridge replacement by recovering the vast majority of the Toyah component within the area of potential effect of the roadway undertaking. No further archaeological work is recommended. Portions of the site outside of the right-of-way have not been fully evaluated. The artifacts and records from the project are curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University

    The Impact of Nursing Skill Competency on Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Project

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    45 out of 50 facilities that implemented continued education saw improved patient outcomes. This presentation focuses on the importance of nurse participation in continued professional development programs because it is a shortcoming that we noticed in clinical practice.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/1010/thumbnail.jp

    The Siren Site and the Long Transition from Archaic to Late Prehistoric Lifeways on the Eastern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas

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    On behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted testing and data recovery investigations at the Siren site (41WM1126), a prehistoric multi-component site in the Interstate Highway 35 right-of-way along the South Fork of the San Gabriel River in Williamson County, Texas. The work was done to fulfill TxDOT’s compliance obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act and the Antiquities Code of Texas. The testing investigations were conducted under Antiquities Permit 3834, and the subsequent data recovery was under Permit 3938. Kevin Miller served as Principal Investigator on both permits. Though the site extends far beyond the area of potential effects both horizontally and vertically, the investigations focused on Late Archaic and Late Prehistoric components within a relatively limited area that would be subject to project impacts. The investigations were conducted in February 2006. The investigations identified five isolable components that were intermittently laid down from approximately 2600 to 900 years ago. A substantial Late Prehistoric Austin phase occupation is represented by Scallorn projectile points, stone tools, burned rock, faunal materials, and radiocarbon dates from cooking features. The component feature assemblage includes a cluster of discrete, well-preserved burned rock features that range from small fire-cracked rock concentrations to a large, slab-lined feature that dominates the cluster. The underlying components include four cultural strata representing a series of phases in the final millennium or so of the long Archaic period. These components span approximately 2600 to 1500 b.p., though earlier, deeply buried components were also noted on the site. These deeper deposits were not the focus of the investigations, however, since they would not be affected by the project. The Archaic components revealed a suite of small side-notched dart points such as Ensor, Fairland, and Frio, as well as many earlier broad-bladed styles such as Castroville, Montell, Marshall, and Pedernales. These robust components contained numerous burned rock features of varying size and function, abundant tools, well-preserved faunal materials, macrobotanical remains including geophytes from several earth ovens, and a large suite of radiocarbon dates. The features include an incipient burned rock midden, burned rock clusters, a debitage reduction area, a biface cache, slab-lined hearths, basin-shaped hearths, and small circular hearths. The distributions of artifacts and features within the Archaic components across the excavation blocks showed significant variations. These differences reflect sequential components that provide a view of diachronic trends in technology, subsistence, economy, and a suite of other behaviors and activities during the long transition from Archaic to Late Prehistoric adaptations. As previously determined by the testing excavations and further substantiated by the data recovery investigations, the Siren site, most notably the Late Archaic and Late Prehistoric components, is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D, 36 CFR 60.4, and eligible for State Archeological Landmark designation under Criteria 1 and 2 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure for the Antiquities Code of Texas, 13 TAC 26.8. The excavations and subsequent analysis have mitigated the adverse effects of the bridge construction by recovering the vast majority of the affected components within the area of potential effect. No further archaeological work is recommended. Portions of the site outside the area of potential effects have not been fully evaluated, and any future impacts beyond the mitigated areas warrant further assessment

    Lucid, Likable, and Hopefully Sane: The Narrative Medicine of Socio-Psychiatric Recovery

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    Lucid, Likable, and Hopefully Sane: The Narrative Medicine of Socio-Psychiatric Recovery provides a detailed document of the author’s recovery from psychotic mental illness. This collection includes a curated selection of vignettes ranging from humorous to surrealist to downright grim. The hybrid-genre work takes readers into a tapestry of topics, including type I manic-psychotic bipolar, comorbid diagnoses, pop-culture and AI, philosophy of the mind, bisexual identity, Ehlers-Danlos and physical pain, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, the art of standup comedy, and cross-diagnoses friendships – all within the context of an American, late-stage capitalist system. This long list of topics is matched by the wide range of genres employed through the duration of this text. Within an adult millennial identity, she writes through experiences spanning from 2010 - 2023. The physical settings range from public locked unit hospitals in and around San Francisco, to conducting spiritual rituals under the fog of Northern California bay waters, amongst the coyote brush. Lucid, Likable, and Hopefully Sane is the seed of a longer multi-genre memoir

    Enhanced Hyaluronan Signaling and Autophagy Dysfunction by VPS35 D620N

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    The motor features of Parkinson’s disease (PD) result from the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra with autophagy dysfunction being closely linked to this disease. A PD-causing familial mutation in VPS35 (D620N) has been reported to inhibit autophagy. In order to identify signaling pathways responsible for this autophagy defect, we performed an unbiased screen using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of wild-type or VPS35 D620N-expressing retinoic acid-differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. We report that VPS35 D620N-expressing cells exhibit transcriptome changes indicative of alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction as well as PI3K-AKT signaling, a pathway known to regulate autophagy. Hyaluronan (HA) is a major component of brain ECM and signals via the ECM receptors CD44, a top RNA-Seq hit, and HA-mediated motility receptor (HMMR) to the autophagy-regulating PI3K-AKT pathway. We find that high (\u3e950 kDa), but not low (15–40 kDa), molecular weight HA treatment inhibits autophagy. In addition, VPS35 D620N facilitated enhanced HA-AKT signaling. Transcriptomic assessment and validation of protein levels identified the differential expression of CD44 and HMMR isoforms in VPS35 D620N mutant cells. We report that knockdown of HMMR or CD44 results in upregulated autophagy in cells expressing wild-type VPS35. However, only HMMR knockdown resulted in rescue of autophagy dysfunction by VPS35 D620N indicating a potential pathogenic role for this receptor and HA signaling in Parkinson’s disease
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